Ultimate X-Men (Hardcover)

by Peter Sanderson (Author), Cynthia O'Neill (Editor), Stan Lee (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Gorgeous, oversize, and well designed, Ultimate X-Men is also perfectly titled. It's a comprehensive overview of four decades of Marvel Comics's monstrously popular mutant superheroes--from their debut, in Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's X-Men #1 (1963), to the terrific X-Men movie (2000). Ultimate X-Men includes the many major mutants who have appeared in The Uncanny X-Men and its spinoffs (Alpha Flight, New Generation, Wolverine, X-Factor, and numerous other series and miniseries). Two-page spreads detail the most important characters' origins, powers, costumes, and relationships. In addition, every superhero and supervillain appearing in the movie receives a sidebar, with stills, that describes the onscreen incarnation. Also receiving detailed coverage are nonmutants important to the X-Men, including Ka-Zar, Longshot, and Dr. Moira MacTaggert; major alien groups and races, like the Starjammers and the Shi'ar; and important locations and technology, such as the Danger Room, Dr. Xavier's estate, and the Blackbird jets. The book also covers the best Uncanny X-Men story lines, the Dark Phoenix Saga, and Days of Future Past. A Summers family tree lays out clearly a tangle of relationships (between clonal and alternate-timeline versions of Cyclops/Scott Summers and Marvel Girl/Phoenix/Jean Grey) that could drive even an experienced genealogist crazy. Ultimate X-Men opens with an entertaining foreword by X-Men creator-editor Stan Lee and concludes with a two-page overview of the X-Men animated series (1992-1997); a four-page "Making the X-Men Movie" section with many great shots; and an insightful afterword by the series' best writer, Chris Claremont.

Ultimate X-Men is a book every X-Men fan will want. It's practically a necessity for the newcomer drawn to the comics by the movie, because Marvel's mutants multiplied like superpowered rabbits in the 1990s. Art-oriented fans, however, may be disappointed by Ultimate X-Men. While it contains a hefty amount of art, the original artwork (the preliminary character sketches, a lovely Dave Cockrum sketch of Nightcrawler and Ororo, etc.) is outnumbered by panel and cover reproductions. And if you're less than enamored with the nature of endless comic-book series, Ultimate X-Men will prove that the more things change, the more they stay the same. --Cynthia Ward

From Booklist
Reviewed with Tom DeFalco's Hulk.

Gr. 6-12. These excellent volumes profile two of Stan Lee's most famous creations for Marvel Comics: the persecuted mutants of the X-Men and the Frankenstein monster-inspired Incredible Hulk. Various artists who have contributed to both series during their 40 years of publication fill the oversize volumes with colorful, first-rate artwork. Every major hero and villain appearing in the series is profiled in the generous, two-page spreads--complete with a breakdown of powers and gadgets and commentary on the character's origin, first appearance, and costume changes over the years. Key locations (including some rarely seen in the pages of the comics) and events are meticulously detailed. Floor plans of Professor Xavier's mansion, the Danger Room, and Magneto's Base are sure to please hardcore fans, and storyline recaps and an exhaustive time line in each book will bring browsers up to speed. Monster enthusiasts will immediately find Hulk more appealing; the costume-ball look of X-Men quickly grows tiresome (and the only new parts are the concluding spreads on the upcoming movie). But classic illustrations blend seamlessly with more recent works, some of which were specially commissioned for the books. Buy X-Men if a new edition is needed, but both titles are essential additions to any comics collection. Carlos Orellana
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: DK CHILDREN (October 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789466937
• ISBN-13: 978-0789466938
• Product Dimensions: 12.2 x 10.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,280,627 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars This book about the X-Men falls short, December 16, 2000

By	R. Rubin (West Virginia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book attempts to be informative, but contains too much information that is too diffuse to be of much use to either new or older fans. There are out-and-out mistakes (for example, Magneto is Jewish (as has been demonstrated in the comics as well as the movie) not a gypsy; i.e. the alias "Erik Lehnsherr" was the name of his false gypsy identity). There are serious omissions, such as the story of Illyana Rasputin or Magik -- reduced to a few sentences that hardly describe the history of this character. Also, the book tends to present bits and pieces of information about one character in the biography or notes about another; for example, the section on Charles Xavier doesn't mention his father, or step-brother Juggernaut, but if one reads the biography of Juggernaut, one finds some of the missing pieces from the Charles Xavier biography. If a reader is using this book as a reference, it is a clumsy and imprecise reference. On the other hand, there are flashy pictures and dynamic layouts to offset the confusing editorial organization and inaccuracies. Future X-Men books should strive for a more simple, straightforward approach that accurately presents each character's most basic history, as well as give readers the spectacular art and schematics and colorful trivia.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Ultimate Book for X-Fans!, May 26, 2006

By	Tim Janson (Michigan) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

This review is from: X-Men: The Ultimate Guide (Ultimate Guides) (Hardcover)

Ever since Giant-Sized X-Men #1 hit the stands back in 1975, the X-Men have gone on to become a comic and pop culture phenomena with no signs of slowing down. Toys, video games, TV Shows, and now three major Hollywood films have cemented the X-Men as still the reigning kings of the comic book universe. Adding to the mega-blitz of promotion is the newly revised and expanded edition of DK's X-Men, The Ultimate Guide now in its third edition, updated right through the latest feature film, "X-Men: The Last Stand".

The book begins by taking a decade -by-decade look at the team including its very inauspicious start in the 1960's. Stan Lee's introduction provides some insight on how the team and name was developed but in the early days it was a rough go. The book was near cancellation throughout the 60's, bolstered only by the now legendary issues drawn by Jim Steranko and Neal Adams. Bios of the major heroes and villains are including describing their powers and histories and their changing looks throughout the years. One of the most interesting features are the diagrams of Xavier's mansion and the danger room. An entire two page spread is dedicated to the Sentinels, showing the different series' of the robotic villains.

The 1970's started the X-Men boom when writer Chris Claremont and artist Dave Cockrum took over the title on issue #94. But it was the new team that excited fans, made up of various ethnic groups from all over the world: Wolverine, Storm, Colossus, Banshee, Sunfire, Thunderbird, etc...The X-Men craze was on! This chapter again covers all of these new heroes as well as allies such as Alpha Flight, the Imperial Guard, and the Starjammers.

The 80's saw the X-Men continue to gain in popularity, becoming the best-selling comic title. Knowing they had a good thing Marvel decided more was better so this decade brought us X-Factor, The New Mutants, Alpha Flight, and Excalibur, as well as Wolverine getting his own solo title. The Ultimate Guide covers all of these spin-offs in great detail as well as even more new characters like Rogue, Mystique, Psylocke, Sabretooth, Dazzler, and Longshot.

By the 1990's the X-Men excess was at an all-time high. Marvel gave fans even more new group and solo titles such as X-Force, Generation X, Cable, Bishop, Gambit, and Deadpool. The guide concludes its look at the comics with the years 2000 - 2005 with such titles as Wolverine Origin and Ultimate X-Men series.

Finally the book covers the animated X-Men TV show (alas, no episode guide) and a look at all three of the feature films including pictures from X-Men: The Last Stand. While I am a long time fan, even I learned quite a few things from the book, particularly about the silver age period. It's very well-written, not the least bit fannish or self-promoting. The images in the book are fantastic and reprinted beautifully in this large, overs-sized hardcover edition. At $25 it's also a great deal, considering the book's quality. This is the Ultimate guide for any X-men fan!

Reviewed by Tim Janson

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Overview of the X-Men for New Fans, December 24, 2000

By	Professor Donald Mitchell "Jesus Makes Me a P... (Boston) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)

Those who have been reading the X-Men for only a year or two will find this volume an inexpensive, visually-exciting way to connect into the 37 year history of the various X-Men series. For those who have been following the X-Men all along, this book will fall short of their expectations for completeness, depth, and accuracy about the various characters.

The visuals are the most interesting part of the book. Marvel opened up its archives to make it possible to have a wide choice of art. You can compare the various ways the key characters were drawn over time. The design of the book is not nearly as good as the art itself. Many pages have the feeling of a scrapbook done by an 8 year old. Some images are way too small. Some sketches are included for no apparent reason.

The book is also improved by many cutaways such as of Xavier's estate, Xavier's mansion, the Danger Room, and Magneto's bases. A number of maps help keep everything in proper perspective.

I also enjoyed the foreword by Stan Lee in which he explained how he made his initial decisions about the sources and types of the various super-hero powers, and how the title of the series was selected. The afterword by Chris Claremont was interesting as well, but more as a perspective on his personality than on the series itself. New fans will be amazed to read that the original X-Men were a flop commercially, even though they are the top series now.

The character profiles would have benefited from more development and a standard format. You can use either the Contents or the Index to locate a character you want to read up on.

A book with this much color art on this quality paper in hardcover would normally cost much more. If this book had had a cover price of $55, I would have graded it as a three star effort. Because the price is so reasonable, I graded the content up one star to four star status.

On the other hand, if the publishers had created this item at a $70 price point, but made it more complete, accurate, and attractive, I suspect that they would have had a runaway best seller. That opportunity remains for a future edition.

In the meantime, many X-Men collectors and fans will find this edition to be a useful one to have . . . unless you already have virtually all the comic books.

After renewing your friendship with the X-Men, I suggest that you think about the basic message of the series -- that differences are important, and become more valuable when combined in teams. What differences do you have which could become strengths when combined with the right team mates? What do you have to do differently to create this potential?

Look out for the best interests of all!